REMEDY PROPOSED BY RANCONI. 353 



Lombard, he never knew this remedy to fail ; on the other 

 hand, we never knew it to succeed. We have fumigated our 

 bees almost to positive suffocation, and in regard to 

 the extinction of the disease, not the slightest progress was 

 made. It is certainly beneficial to the bees, as completely 

 changing the infected air of the hive, and as a preventive 

 is undoubtedly worthy of adoption ; but as a remedy, 

 without an entire change of food, it is wholly inefficacious. 



Mr. Ranconi recommends the placing of small plates in 

 the vicinity of the hives, filled with fresh urine. This 

 remedy is still more objectionable than the pounded salt of 

 Wildman ; for in what manner are the bees to be brought 

 out of the hive to partake of the medicine, which is prepared 

 for them, exteriorly to it ? We have frequently experienced 

 great difficulty in inducing them to descend from the combs 

 to partake of the food deposited for them on the stand ; 

 how much greater therefore must it be to bring them to 

 leave the hive, especially when they are greatly debilitated 

 by the effects of the disease. In default, however, of the 

 bees making use of the urine, Mr. Ranconi recommends 

 the administration of the following compound. Boil some 

 old sweet wine with an adequate proportion of sugar, 

 to which add some cloves and nutmegs and some dried rose 

 leaves. The bark of pomegranates well pounded and sifted, 

 and mixed with honey and sweet wine, has been found very 

 conducive to the health of the bees. 



The bark of the pomegranate is out of the reach of the 

 English apiarian ; but without entering upon the question 

 of its efficacy, we attach little or no value to any prescription 

 for bees, the ingredients of which are of a crude and solid 

 nature. Jaime Gil, a countryman of Ranconi, recommends 

 half a dozen cloves of garlick to be given to the bees, but 

 he forgets to inform us at the same time of the means 

 by which the bees are to be made to eat the garlick. 

 Pierre Constant Lengrois, who wrote his " Republique des 

 Q 5 



